jff Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 No, Wilco doesn't dodge questions. They are very open. I just don't know why they would participate in an article about Wilco Inc.Same reason they'd participate in an article about their music. It's something they do and have been successful at, people are interested in it, so why not talk about it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalafej Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Same reason they'd participate in an article about their music. It's something they do and have been successful at, people are interested in it, so why not talk about it? It comes off as arrogant. That would be a great title for the upcoming Wilco/Tweedy realty show ---- heaven forbid! The last straw for me would be if they go into real estate Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 It comes off as arrogant. That's a matter of personal perception. I didn't thik any of it was arrogant. The last straw for me would be if they go into real estateIf they own the loft, they are in real estate. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nalafej Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 If they own the loft, they are in real estate. I'm out (after Friday's show) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 It comes off as arrogant. The last straw for me would be if they go into real estate Hey I didn't write the below (not that I don't agree with, necessarily, though ---- it did throw me for loop, I had to go back in the thread to see if I did write it) calvino, on 25 Jul 2013 - 13:19, said:Same reason they'd participate in an article about their music. It's something they do and have been successful at, people are interested in it, so why not talk about it? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I'm out (after Friday's show) now that's funny. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
redstripe Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 The tour grosses came from pollstar not wilco, and the merch grosses are from unnamed sources. not sure where pollstar gets its ticket sales figures, or who the sources are. Anyone know what standard splits are for venue/promoter/talent for a band of wilco's size, or what a reasonable estimate is for merchandise revenue as a percentage of sales? Anyone? Bueller? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Derek Phillips Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Just read this article today. Fascinating look inside the actual business of being in a successful, independent band. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ditty Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Anyone know what standard splits are for venue/promoter/talent for a band of wilco's size "Touring expenses, which for Wilco’s domestic gigs include two buses and a crew of about 20, typically run about 60percent of gross, according to Pollstar’s Bongiovanni." Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The High Heat Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 If more small business owners would learn how to fire their friends, there'd be a lot more small businesses. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Jules Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 So Gross Profit is 3.6M on the estimated 9M in ticket sales. Not bad, but now take out all other expenses (insurance, rent, equipment, recording costs, band member salaries) and you have comfortable but not what I would call wealthy musicians. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IRememberDBoon Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 "And they have a fan base that they can rely on. In 2012, they played to averageaudiences of 3,100, with tickets around $50. Touring expenses, which for Wilco’sdomestic gigs include two buses and a crew of about 20, typically run about 60percent of gross"Just out of curiosity do you think "Touring expenses" include the bands pay? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Since the band members are essentially paid employees, I would say yes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IRememberDBoon Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I have a great old roommate/friend that works as drum tech for DMB and he started when they were in a Van in 92-93. Hes been nothing but Carter Beaufords right hand man for 20 years and I can assure you he is loaded. But that's a bit different maybe because he was one of the bands first 3 roadies. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Not to mention that DMB makes shit ton more money on the road then Wilco (very sad to say). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IRememberDBoon Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Not to mention that DMB makes shit ton more money on the road then Wilco (very sad to say). true but they work hard at least. even if you don't get their music Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 true but they work hard at least. even if you don't get their music No doubt. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 DMB probably makes more money because their tickets cost more and they sell more of them. They play stadiums and huge venues. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 DMB probably makes more money because their tickets cost more and they sell more of them. They play stadiums and huge venues.I think you may be right --- you can add, they sell more records, merchandise, etc.... plus chicks seem to dig Mathews much more so than Tweedy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 So Gross Profit is 3.6M on the estimated 9M in ticket sales. Not bad, but now take out all other expenses (insurance, rent, equipment, recording costs, band member salaries) and you have comfortable but not what I would call wealthy musicians. for a musician, what's the threshold for considered wealthy these days? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 So Gross Profit is 3.6M on the estimated 9M in ticket sales. Not bad, but now take out all other expenses (insurance, rent, equipment, recording costs, band member salaries) and you have comfortable but not what I would call wealthy musicians.You're still leaving out all of their other revenue streams. for a musician, what's the threshold for considered wealthy these days?Not having to go back to your job at Captain D's when the tour is over. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bosco Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Not to mention that DMB makes shit ton more money on the road then Wilco (very sad to say). Why sad? I'll admit it, I go to DMB shows, I enjoy their music, I'd much prefer for Wilco to stay where they are, smaller shows, less hassle, nicer venues... Wealthy? Now that's a hard one, but I guess it's best to but a framework around it, they are working musicians, they are not hauling their own equipment around and struggling to get people to come to their shows, however they are also not selling billions of records and getting $600/seat to play stadiums and huge arenas. So to put it in that scale I'd say they are comfortably in between starving Musician (on the one extreme) and Mick Jager and Paul McCartney (on the other). Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jff Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 It's probably safe to say that nobody in Wilco, with the possible exception of Tweedy, could retire today and be set for life. By that metric, they are not wealthy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Atticus Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Jeff smells nice Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 It's probably safe to say that nobody in Wilco, with the possible exception of Tweedy, could retire today and be set for life. By that metric, they are not wealthy. I'm starting to think my wealthy comment was unneeded. How much did they all get paid, and manage to save/invest from touring in the last 5 years? How much did they get for VW commercials? What do royalties, and various downloads/streaming payments look like every month? I suspect that adds up to some number that's either pretty nice, or impressively substantial, but also is probably not my business. But I guess that gets into the criticisms people raised about the existence of the article- it leads you to ask questions you normally wouldn't ask (i.e. "How much does Mikael pull in after a month long tour of the U.S.? $20k? $30k?"). But again, most importantly: good for those guys. They deserve it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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